We received confirmation from OET this morning that the computer-based version of OET taken by candidates at home will be recognised by the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
This is fantastic news for those many OET Nursing candidates who find it difficult to make it to an official test centre. Candidates we have taught have often had to travel significant distances, including long overnight journeys and flights to other countries, to take their tests. This can be a tiring and unsettling experience for some which does not help them perform at their best in this high-stakes test.
OET@Home also gives test takers and their future employers the reassurance that their test will take place. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, many test centres have been closed or are running at greatly reduced capacity. While centres are opening up again, the future remains uncertain.
OET@Home is a remotely proctored test which enables candidates to sit the test in a secure home environment. All they need is a laptop or PC, a headset, webcam and stable internet connection. The test is delivered in partnership with Prometric, a world leader in technology-enabled testing who deliver 7 million tests a year. Tests are monitored online live by human proctors using a raft of security measures to ensure test validity.
In OET Nursing, the Reading, Listening and Writing papers are delivered on candidates’ computers. Speaking is conducted live with an interlocutor over Zoom.
By accepting the results of OET@Home, the NMC are joining other regulators, including the General Medical Council (GMC) in the UK, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates ECFMG in the US, and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
OET@Home is part of a raft of measures introduced by OET to increase testing capacity. Others include on-site tests at healthcare employer premises, more test centres and more test dates.
SLC has successfully prepared hundreds of nurses and doctors to achieve the scores they need in OET. With the ongoing growth of OET as the first choice for healthcare professionals needing to demonstrate their English language skills, we are looking forward to preparing many more.
OET Online Preparation Courses:
